Lady Adeliza
Lady Adeliza looks to the age of castles and conquest. Her persona — a twelfth-century Norman noblewoman — explores the Anglo-Norman world that reshaped England and much of Europe in the wake of 1066.
Persona Background
Adeliza's persona belongs to the twelfth century, among the Norman aristocracy whose castles, churches, and charters still mark the landscape of England and France. It was an age of formidable noblewomen who managed estates, defended castles, and wielded real influence — a rich and sometimes surprising field of study that pushes past the tired idea of the passive medieval lady.
The Norman World
Adeliza studies the material and social world of the Anglo-Normans: the great stone keeps and the daily life within them, the documents that recorded land and law, and the Romanesque art and architecture of the period. The era's most famous artefact — the embroidered account of the Norman conquest known to most people as the Bayeux Tapestry — remains one of the single richest sources for twelfth-century arms, dress, and daily life, and is widely studied by reenactors.
For the documentary side of the period, the digitised records and research of the UK National Archives offer a window into how a medieval society recorded itself.
Twelfth-Century Dress & Life
The clothing of the period — the long fitted gowns, the veils and wimples, the bliaut with its dramatic sleeves — is reconstructed from sculpture, manuscript painting, and a small body of surviving textiles. Adeliza recreates these garments and the household crafts that supported noble life, from the management of the estate to the rituals of hospitality.
Interests in the Society
- Twelfth-century Norman and Anglo-Norman costuming.
- Medieval estate management and daily life.
- Romanesque art and architecture.
- Medieval charters, law, and documents.
Her Arms
Lady Adeliza bears a registered device in keeping with her Norman persona. Return to the Member Roster, or read about the household's gatherings in The Corvine Chronicles.